1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to components of building structures. In particular, this invention relates to structures wherein a trim-type element, i.e., a piece of a modular system, is generally attached at a wall-ceiling intersection and serves as a covering strip, especially for decorative purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Interior decorative molding, such as crown molding, door and window casings, chair rails, baseboards, etc., are commonly used in the construction industry. Crown moldings, in particular, are commonly used to decorate a room by providing a decorative transition between a vertical wall and a ceiling.
Molding typically has a single decorative side, and a flat side that is mounted on a wall, ceiling, or floor surface. The visually appealing decorative surface is usually formed in three dimensions with the molding often having a uniform cross-sectional profile. A uniform cross-sectional profile is the simplest molding to manufacture, either of wood by milling the decorative surfaces, or in the case of extruded plastic molding, by extruding through a uniform profile die.
Typically, moldings are made of wood. However, the costs for wood moldings are ever-increasing due to the labor intensive nature of the milling process and the gradual depletion of suitable forest wood stocks. For example, wood used to manufacture molding must usually be clear of knots and of suitable consistency to produce a smooth finish surface. The high costs associated with manufacturing wood molding make wood molding cost prohibitive. As such, efforts have been made to develop moldings that can be economically manufactured. Therefore, although wood moldings are the most common type of moldings, other less expensive alternatives are becoming popular.
An alternative to wood molding is plastic molding, which is typically manufactured via extrusion, and may be solid or formed with a solid skin surrounding a foam core. Unfortunately, plastic molding has its own problems and associated costs. In general, plastic molding is not preferred over wood molding because it is difficult to properly finish joints between adjacent plastic molding pieces. Also, potentially toxic fumes may be produced if the plastic molding is burned. In fact, there are very few comparative cost advantages in using plastic moldings from an environmental-impact perspective. However, plastic moldings have uniform cross-sections and may be cost effective for larger uses.
Another alternative to wood molding is plaster molding, which is regaining its popularity despite it extremely high cost. During Victorian times relatively large crown moldings for example, were fairly common in homes or public buildings. Using plaster, complex shapes can be produced with relative ease, and plaster has an improved fire-safety compared to both wood and plastic. Today, nostalgia and the desire for a custom profile is often the driving force for using plaster molding.
One way to produce plaster molding is by casting; namely using a rubber mold (usually four to six feet or 1.2 to 1.8 meters in length) filled with a liquid plaster mixture. The solidified plaster is later removed from the mould and installed as needed. Plaster molding is installed on site and usually painted to match the color of the adjacent wall and/or ceiling. Unfortunately, plaster molding suffers from breakage during manufacture, handling, and installation. Plaster molding also chips easily. Moreover, a fairly high degree of skill and experience is required to both produce the rubber molds and install the molding correctly. To provide additional strength and to resist cracking, the plaster mixture in older construction methods would be combined with horsehair, rope fibers or other natural fibers as reinforcement. Modern plastic fibers or fiberglass, Teflon®, etc., can also be added to the plaster mixture for reinforcement. An alternative to plaster molding casting, is to form the plaster in place using a series of separate passes to build up a plaster profile on a wooden support structure.
As noted above, molding, such as crown molding has conventionally been custom-cut and installed by skilled craftsmen because the installation of molding is very labor intensive and time consuming, especially for traditional, common wood molding. For example, wood molding must be properly and exactingly measured for the location it is to be used. Specifically, in each corner of the room, the molding segments must be precisely cut to form mitered and/or coped joints.
Mitering and coping are techniques requiring for proper installation, and are typically possessed by those skilled in the finish carpentry trade. Mitering and coping typically require expensive and/or potentially dangerous tools, such as a compound miter saw, which should only be operated by experienced crafts-persons. It is also worth noting that cutting wood molding creates significant amounts of sawdust, which adds to the inconvenience associated with installation and also can be a health hazard, depending upon the wood species. Even where corner blocks are used instead of mitered joints, the molding pieces must be cut to precise and accurate lengths, which still require finish carpentry skills. With the increasing cost of skilled labor, and the increasing interest of homeowners in do-it-yourself home renovation projects, it has become desirable to provide a means for relatively unskilled persons working alone with a minimum of tools to easily install and maintain attractive moldings in the home.
One of the main problems for the do-it-yourselfer in the installation of moldings is the need for precise measurement of components to avoid gaps or overlaps during installation. Another is the need for skill in cutting or sawing components to produce true and correctly angled cuts for professional-looking joints and miters. As an example, often installing expensive crown molding between opposing walls requires a desirable “spring” or making the cut piece slightly (⅛″) long, so that the molding ends and joints are placed in compression during installation and more easily concealed. As a second example, a non-standard miter-cut (angled cut) may be necessary to compensate for a non-perpendicular ceiling-wall interface. In both instances, it is desirable to produce true and correctly angled cuts.
A third problem is the fact that do-it-yourselfers frequently work alone at odd hours and are unable to call upon others to assist in supporting and aligning molding components during installation. This problem is magnified where high ceilings (10-14′) exist, or where stairs and landings are involved.
Unfortunately, despite the improvements of economy and efficiency of installation provided by composite moldings, current designs are still hampered by a multitude of components which must be interconnected together in various forms to form a length to cover a wall and/or a corner section. The multitude of required different pieces also significantly adds to the cost of production. Accordingly, what is desirable, and has not heretofore been developed, is a modular molding system that has the desired benefits of economy and ease of installation, with the added advantages of simplicity of design and construction.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of installing molding is an aspect that the installer has no control over, namely whether or not the walls, ceiling, and floor are straight and level. The best quality molding installed by the most experienced craftsperson would still appear shoddy if uneven walls resulted in gaps between the molding and the ceiling or floor. Uneven walls, ceiling, and floors are an especially common problem when trimming-out older houses. If the gaps are fairly small, say less than about ⅜″ (about 9.5 mm), the gaps may be filled with acrylic or other flexible caulk. If the gaps are larger than ⅜″, the walls themselves may need to be repaired.
Another difficulty often encountered during molding installation involves the differing finishes applied to walls, ceilings, floors, and other surfaces. For example, walls are frequently covered with wallpaper, ceilings with paint or a pebbled-stucco-type finish, and floors with either carpet or a smooth varnish. Ideally, the installation and finishing of molding avoids damage to the differing finish surfaces involved. Current molding systems are incapable of uniformly dealing with all surface finishes without adaptive effort.
A final difficulty with conventional molding and conventional installation techniques involves locating the underlying wall and ceiling studs. Today, typical stud spacing is 16″ on center (16 O.C.). This spacing uniformity aids installation because once a single stud is located, sequential location is simple. Unfortunately, previous construction techniques (prior to about the 1950's) employed irregular and unpredictable spacing making stud location more of an art than a science. Since it is often desirable to position a conventional molding joint on a stud (allowing both pieces to be joined to the same stud) locating stud position is important to proper installation.
Attempts have been made to counter at least some of the detriments found within conventional molding installation practice as described.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,237, which issued on Apr. 6, 1993 to Juntunen, provides a Miterless Molding System. In particular, the system includes a decorative receptacle covering and provides that appearance of a finished joint between adjacent rough cut ends of two lineal moldings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,718, which issued on Sep. 22, 1998 to Wicks, provides a Modular Molding System. The modular molding system of Wicks uses slotted blocks that are first individually mounted on a support surface (i.e., the wall-ceiling interface). Lengths of molding runner are inserted into the slots of the blocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,510, which issued on Jul. 3, 2001 to Santarossa, provides a Lightweight Interior Molding. This invention is a lightweight gypsum-coated decorative molding that is flexible enough to withstand minor handling without cracking.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,818, which issued on Nov. 12, 2002 to Jensen, provides a Modular Molding System. The modular molding system of Jensen comprises a plurality of modular molding sections that include an angled face portion and a horizontal alignment portion. One end of each molding section is angled, while the other end is straight. The molding sections are flexible to abut to an uneven surface of a vertical wall. The horizontal alignment portion has a dual purpose of carrying an adhesive, as well as providing means for insuring that the molding section is properly spaced from the vertical wall.
Unfortunately, none of the previous efforts in this area, taken either alone or in combination, teach or suggest the features and benefits of the present invention.